


Weekends Like These.

by the-canary (siruru)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Awkward Tension, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, New York City, Pre-Relationship, Reader-Insert, Serendipity - Freeform, Strangers to Lovers, Time Skips, Tourism, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 16:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18319169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siruru/pseuds/the-canary
Summary: You’ve seen him here and there throughout your little outings. You just never that it was going to turn into something else.





	Weekends Like These.

**Author's Note:**

> this is for @bvcks writing challenge. ahh, i tried to focus on something like what i try to do on the weekends and it tail spinned into this. idk it’s really any good but i like the tone of it. 
> 
> Prompt: “The hold you have on me is unsettling. It makes me restless, but I like it.”
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated.

_You’re living in New York. Greatest city in the world, shouldn’t you be happier?_

At least, that’s what the _Hamilton_ song told you once, but since moving you had felt nothing but tired, drained, and alone. It wasn’t like you had come here alone on your own. Wanda had been the one to push you into looking for something in your field when nothing came up in your sleepy hometown. She had even helped you moved into a cramped little apartment, that shouldn’t really be called such a thing, across from hers. However, both Maximoff twins have already established themselves in the city and had each other when they were here – they didn’t, like you, have canceled plans with friends (Wanda and Viz) because they were working overtime in their little shop on a weekend.

You were used to being alone, but this loneliness –New York loneliness- was different than what you had felt before. In a way it was driving you mad: how could you be on a street full of people and still feel like the loneliest, most miserable person in the room?

However, for now, you just had to keep moving with your brunch reservation. Yet, you weren’t expecting a tall, blond man to already be sitting there instead. You were at a loss for a moment, wondering if things had gotten mixed up and whether you could ask someone to be moved, but all the staff seemed to be busy at peek brunch hour.  

The blond looks up from his cell phone, as you question hesitantly: “Excuse me, are you waiting for someone?”

“I was,” he answers with a sigh. You notice tired blue eyes like the man hasn’t slept in days. It makes you pause for a moment, the man obviously needed more relaxation than you ever did in that moment.

“Wait, did they send you over here?” he questions as you shrug, ready to excuse yourself when he gets up and pulls out the chair in across from his. You blink in confusion as he gives you a small but tired smile.

“My friend just canceled on me,” he explains as if sensing your instant distrust and well, he couldn’t blame you, “I’d hate to have lunch alone, and if you didn’t mind–”

“Okay,” you answer back with a growing smile of your own, as he looks at you with a look of confusion before it blooms into general excitement. Maybe, the loneliness you had been feeling was starting to override your own self-preservation.

“Okay, sure,” he agrees, though you think it more likely that he is just telling himself that as if to try to get himself to calm down, though you aren’t sure why.

You take a seat as he moves back to his. You’re silent and a little awkward for a second before the waiter comes in and asks if you would like anything to drink.

“I’m guessing you got canceled on too, huh?” he asks.

“My friend is having a spring sale at her shop at the last minute,” you explain a little annoyed that Wanda had decided to do so, but you could understand the need for the extra cash especially if there was a big event nearby.

“My friends barely just woke up,” the blond admits with a laugh, “Overworked until who knows when.”

You laugh as well, as the waiter comes back with your drinks. Blue eyes look at you before he states nervously while rubbing the back of his neck, relief that he wouldn’t spend brunch alone making him forget something so basic, but also maybe something else as well: “Oh, I’m Steve Rogers by the way.”

You state your name with a laugh before looking through the menu and wondering what you should have. There isn’t much talk between the two of you as you eat, but that someone is there makes it slightly less scary and lonesome.

And that’s the first time you spend a weekend with Steve Rogers.

* * *

The second time it happens is completely by mistake. You were simply walking, aimlessly looking around the space where Wanda’s shop was close to after you had spent the morning helping her when you notice a familiar figure standing near the fountain not too far away from the Lincoln Center. You pause, wondering what the man was doing there, ignoring the fact that he came to your mind every once and a while since that Saturday, but you were still too cautious to ask for his phone number after brunch.

You’re stuck between walking over to him and being mortified that you are going to make a fool of yourself when he turns slightly to his left and sees you there. You don’t notice blue eyes twinkling at a distance as he watches you look like you are talking to yourself.

You eventually get the courage to walk up to him, as he turns and pretends to be surprised to see you: “Hey Steve, what are you doing?”

 _Being stood up,_  is what he wants to say as he can’t help but sigh out. However, he doesn’t want to bother anyone with that as he shrugs.

“Had extra tickets to the Met,” he remarks, trying to hide the also evident disappointment in his tone of voice. You keep looking at him and obviously not letting you know that he had just bought them before his date had called him, “But some people canceled on me at the last minute.”

“Oh,” that’s all you manage to say before going between looking at the museum and Steve, “Do you want someone to accompany you?”

“I–” your question clearly catches him off-guard for a second, as you wait. Blue eyes stare at you as if waiting for the point where you are going to laugh and retract your remark, but instead, you’re patient though understanding if he did decide to say no.

“If you don’t mind,” he manages to state as you shake your head and tell him that you have nothing to do for the rest of the day.

“Lead the way,” you laugh as Steve motions you to follow him up the stairs that you were used to seeing on TV only every so often, but for now you were here for something completely different.

You don’t know how, but you end up visiting all three Met centers that day, as Steve had your attention the entire time, as he goes on and on about the artists and what he loves about each of them. You learn something new and for once, Steve doesn’t feel like he’s bothering anyone with all this, as he ignores the fluttering in his chest for now.  

* * *

“So, you’ve met this guy twice now?” Wanda asks, obviously very curious over what you had done after you had left her shop last weekend, “And he isn’t weird or anything, right?”

“Not from what I’ve seen,” you remark, thinking about how Steve was always kind though maybe a little too rash in brief stories he had shared about his youth.

“Then, why didn’t you get his phone number?”

“I don’t know,” is the only way you can answer that question as Wanda sighs, knowing that you were obviously more entranced with the history and art around than the blond hunk who had ended up inviting you.

* * *

It’s another three weeks afterward before Steve ends up finding you roaming around the Schwarzman Building after he had just gotten out of a lecture about Walt Whitman. Steve isn’t sure why he went, it was something that had caught his attention, but at the sight of you looking over the glass cases are part of another exhibit within the library, Steve couldn’t help but feel that he was in that one John Cusack movie.

Your eyes are sparkling over the little trinkets on display and he just wants to know what you are thinking, as you clutch the pile of books that are in your arms a little tighter.

> _“Once I pass’d through a populous city imprinting my brain for future use with its shows, architecture, customs, traditions,_
> 
> _Yet now of all that city I remember only a woman I casually met there who detain’d me for love of me…”_

Steve freezes for a moment at the one piece of poetry that he seems to still remember from the mini-lecture and while he can’t help but start to overanalyze what it means to you and to him, everything else stops when he hears his name being called.

He wants to run, to have time to think of everything but your presence in front of him chases all those thoughts away.

“Steve, what you are doing here?” you ask him with a bright smile. He swears he stops thinking for a second, before smiling – for once, he won’t overthink everything of his adult life and move forward with the little chances that he has been given.

“I was at the Walt Whitman lecture,” he explains.

Your attention is completely on him as he explains his love for the American Romantics and as you both end up going to lunch once more, not too far away from the library, and Steve can’t help but think that there has to be something more to this as silly as it may seem.

* * *

“So, you’ve met this gal three times now,” Bucky starts off before taking a sip of his beer, “But, you haven’t even tried getting her number.”

“It’s not that easy, Buck,” Steve tries to explain but his best friend gives him a look that he doesn’t believe his bullshit.

“Likes the art, poetry,” the man runs down the list of everything that Steve has told him, “Used to get into arguments with people over just about everything. This gal sounds perfect for ya, Stevie. What’s the problem?”

Blue meets blue and at that moment James knows, as he lets out a ragged sigh.

“Your luck’s gonna run out eventually, bud,” Bucky explains as best he can to get through Steve’s stubborn head, “Don’t make a choice you’re gonna regret.”

Steve doesn’t say anything, but he knows where his best friend is coming from. He just doesn’t want to hope that it won’t be all worth for nothing.

* * *

He sees you two weeks afterward, on the opposite of Broadway with a pamphlet in your hand and following a man within a blue shirt with a small group. Steve pauses for a moment, as he is able to watch you smile for a second while looking at the old buildings.

He wants to stop and ask – **to say** – so many things, but instead, he keeps moving forward because he has things to do and the sea of New Yorkers keep pushing him farther and farther away.

Steve just didn’t think it would be the last time he saw you in a very long time.

* * *

_“Come on, you’ve been moping around for a whole month,” Bucky declares as he watches Steve sit on his couch, “We gotta met Wan and her new friend.”_

_Steve pauses for a moment before frowning, as Bucky just shrugs._

_“Don’t worry about it,” Bucky shrugs, “I’m sure ya’ll find her again. Just wait.”_

_Steve doesn’t say a word as he moves back into his own room, fully knowing that his time and luck was going to run out eventually._

* * *

You aren’t sure what Wanda or Pietro had planned when they ask you to come over to visit them in their shared Brooklyn townhouse. Maybe, they had gotten tired of watching you go out every other weekend to find someone in-between 8.3 million people – it was like finding a needle in a haystack and your friends worry about you just a tad too much.

Maybe, it was a stupid idea but there was so much more to it, you just weren’t what it meant. However, you kept moving forward with your life as best as you can. You end up going with Wanda to a cozy little farmer’s market not too far away from her home in order to get some more things for dinner.

Maybe, I should just give up, you think absentmindedly to yourself as you look at the flowers and fruits mingling together while sinking into your own self-doubt when you were going to see him again. But, this certainly wasn’t a Lifetime movie either.

It’s at that point when you hear it. Wanda’s voice mingling with two others, but one of these catches you off-guard the most. You look around while trying to calm your heart down.

_“And where is this wonderful friend of yours, Wanda?”_

Blue eyes meet yours for a split second as Wanda motions you to walk over. It’s then you can see the blond man biting his bottom lip, as you freeze for a good moment.

It seems that luck had finally been kind to both of you.

* * *

It’s a few weeks afterward between texting (you finally have each other’s phone numbers), gatherings with friends, and maneuvering between schedules to have everything finally settle in. It’s Saturday evening and you’re sitting in a small cafe with Steve across from you with a pastry and drink at the side. You aren’t sure how exactly you got to this point, it all seemed a bit serendipitous but at the sound of the soft music and the general sweet ambiance..it just seemed right.

“So what are you thinking about now?” you laugh, as he looks over the band playing in the back.

“That the hold you have on me is unsettling,” Steve admits, after finally admitting to himself after such a long time,  as you stop and look at him with wide eyes,  “It makes me restless, but I like it.”

“When did you turn into such a Walt Whitman?” you laugh, as he shakes his head at your comment.

“What I’m tryin’ to say is that,” Steve remarks with a bashful smile, “I would like to officially ask you on a date, be official after all these.”

  
You feel the embarrassment rushing up your spine as you look away bashfully before deciding it wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

“So, would this be our first official date?” you ask as a smile blooms on his face, “Or would that have been back at the brunch place?”

There was actually so much to choose from by now.

“This,” Steve responds, “This would be a good start.”  

You, and maybe even Steve, had come a long way from the loneliness you had felt within such a big city and this was certainly the start of something new – with only more lovely weekends and days to follow.


End file.
